Sunday, June 5, 2011

Rome Pisa & Florence

Roma Day 1We Flew into Rome on Wednesday night and stayed at a hotel 20 minutes from the airport which cost us an 80 Euro cab drive. We were all tired, cranky and already feeling broke. We passed out within minutes of checking in. We woke up early, showered had hotel breakfast (which always includes Nutella) and then headed to the Hilton where we were spending our second night. Abby's parents have a ton of Hilton points and they were nice enough to let us use them to stay in one of the nicest hotels in Rome. If you have never been to Europe, most hotels are small with hard beds and no AC--not the Hilton!

Sistine Chapel

Seafood Risotto

Our first day in Rome we spent two hours in the Vatican. It was crowded with tours but still an amazing experience. It is gigantic and the Sistine Chapel was something I will not forget. After our holy education for the day we were famished so we went to one of the thousands of outdoor restaurants. I had a seafood risotto that may have been the best meal I have had since arriving in Europe. This meal set the tone for the rest of our trip, meaning Abby, Meghan and I were having a bottle of wine with every meal. When in Rome. We justify it with the fact that Wine is cheaper than soda in Italy. After Just we walked around all the shops and visited the Parthenon and Trevi Fountain. Rome is very touristy and full of people trying to sell you junk. I found a pretty green dress for 20 Euros and could not say no. At one point it rained for about 30 minutes so we took cover in the awnings of the outdoor markets. One of the street markets had a dried fruit stand with every fruit imaginable. They even had dried limes, ginger, Kumquats, melon, etc. I bought 7 Euros worth and ate half of it while walking around. Come dinner I was not very hungry but I knew I wanted some Italian Tiramisu. Our waiter kept joking that he was "Dessert". This was not joke for me, I just wanted my Cafe Tiramisu and a glass of wine.

Roma Day 2Today was much more stressful because after we checked out of the hilton we had to lug around our backpacks full of all our belongings for the weekend. So with 30 pounds on my back we headed to the Coliseum. The crowds and lines to go in were so ridiculous that even with a pass that allowed us to skip the line it took about twenty minutes of pushing through crowds to get inside the structure. We walked around and took a ton of pictures then sat on an old column and people watched. Tourists are weird people, no matter where they are from.

Abby & I inside the Coliseum

Next we made our way in search of lunch where I had a DELISH Nicoise Salad. This is probably one of my favorite dishes I have had in france and Italy. It is a salad with tuna, anchovies, capers, olives, tomatoes, cucumber and sometimes eggs. After lunch we went to see the Ruins in the Forum. This was breathtaking. We walked around and enjoyed all of the different landscapes and views until our backs were so sore from our bags we decided it was time to rest again at an outdoor cafe. We found a lovely little place covered by ivy and plants full of shade. Meghan and I got Margaritas while Abby had an Irish coffee with some mousse cake. After our snack we headed to the train station to catch the train to Pisa where we spent our third night.

PisaWe arrived in Pisa at 8:30 pm and checked into our hotel which was a block from the station. It was on a sketchy street full of people I would not want to run into while alone at night. Our hotel was old and covered in bright blue carpet and the walls were decorated with light blue sponge paint. Our room was large for 3. We spend 40 less Euro and opted to share a bathroom with other guests at the hotel. The shower was tiny but it was definitely worth the extra euro.

Since it was just getting dark as we arrived we headed to the leaning tower to take pictures and see a little night life. We took pictures and met up with about 10 other people in our study group. We all watched a contemporary dance show that was taking place in the streets and exchanged stories from our trips. At around 10 pm we headed to a Pizzeria for dinner and drinks. After leaving dinner we were hoping for some night life but Pisa seems to be a pretty dull town so we went back to the hotel and crashed. Non of us got any sleep. The room was 80 degrees and the streets were filled with crying babies, cackling women and barking dogs until the sun came up.

FlorenceWe woke up slow and had cappuccinos and hotel breakfast, which of course included Nutella (they love that stuff here). Next we headed to the train station leaving our bags at the front desk at the Pisa hotel so we would not have to carry them around all day. The ride to Florence is 10 Euro round trip and takes about 45 minutes. We arrived in Florence around noon and began exploring the streets. Florence was definitely my favorite of the three cities. It is not as large and tourist filled as Rome but is still buzzing with life unlike Pisa. It was the perfect balance of activity and leisure. We went shopping and saw all of the beautiful buildings and churches.

While heading down an small side street we saw a large camera crew and immediately knew that the it had to be the JERSEY SHORE CAST. As we approached I saw Pauly D standing on the Pizza shop stoop waving a T-shirt while Vinny sat beside him in a pair of Ray Ban sunglasses. As we walked by Pauly waved a shirt in my face and I asked him if they were available for purchase. He said they were and then began fluttering the shirt in my face jokingly. He ushered us inside where Abby, Meghan and I all bought one. I got one in green in a size XL for YOU DAD! On our way out a man told us we were going to have to sign releases because we may appear on television. I saw Sammy inside making Pizza as well. On our way our Pauly asked us where we are from and I followed by telling him he had DJed at the party block across the street from our family beach house. He responded by plugging his upcoming appearance in Florence. We were so excited to see some of the cast. Abby got a great picture of me talking to Pauly.

After all that excitement we went and found lunch and did some more shopping. We all got new bikinis that we were hoping to wear as soon as we got back to Antibes. At 4:30 we took the train to Pisa where we picked up our bags, got a cappuccino then hopped on the train to Ventimiglia where we would stop before heading to our final destination...ANTIBE!

The train ride home we met up with two more members of our group where we got a little private cabin. The train ride went by quickly as soon as we broke out some limonchello we had bought in Rome. When we switched trains at Ventimiglia there was a delay due to a storm which caused rocks to fall on the track. We made small talk with an older women from Ireland who was also waiting. Abby, Meghan and I sat with her the whole way back to Antibes where she shared stories about her life since her Diplomat husband died last month. She had lived in 19 different countries in her life and had plenty to share.

Needless to say I am thankful to be back in Antibes, it really feels like home. Today it has been storming all day but luckily I was able to squeeze in a 7 mile run right before it began to downpour. Meghan and I are starving but do not feel like running through the rain to the market. Today is a day to relax, and I am doing just that. Our last week here in France will be busy and I want to be full of energy so I can enjoy every moment of it!

Ill post pictures soon! Sorry It was so long but I had so much to say!